Red Oak Park is narrow and wooded with an opening at its SE corner. The woods catch water from houses and streets upstream. The watershed used to be wetland prairie. Its concrete streets and storm drains dump into the park and cause flash floods during rain, eroding soil and creating a ditch-like stream and leaving tree roots bare. The Park Division of Fayetteville, Arkansas, is trying to find a way to protect the mature hardwood trees in the park and make the space safer and more accessible.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Sarah Lewis' letter to residents and friends of Ward 4 as her term on the Fayetteville City Council ends

Dear Ward 4 and Friends, 12/26/12
As 2012 comes to a close, and my time as a City Council member comes to a close, I would like to
thank you for the opportunity to represent the citizens of this wonderful community. I have
served as a Ward 4 Council Member since 2009. When I ran for City Council, you communicated
with me that the following were important tenants on which we should all focus; 1) promote
smart business and community development, 2) uphold Fayetteville’s quality of life, 3) protect our
community, and 4) support an attainable city. I’d like to share a few of the achievements we had
as a community as a result of having worked together over the past 4 years.
As it relates to promoting smart business and community development, together we successfully
supported and expanded the arts, the farmer’s markets, and local businesses. We advocated for
innovative strategies for development designs, such as the form-­‐based zoning codes. With your
support, we sponsored and passed the Low Impact Development (LID) Ordinance, as well as the
Residential Energy Code. We pushed for geotechnical assessments for foundations built in the
hillside overlay district. Through the Environmental Action Committee (EAC), we worked to host
the Watershed Luncheon Series, establish Fayetteville as a certified Community Wildlife Habitat,
host a public forum and endorsed the Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan, and draft and
pass a resolution to increase transparency in our city’s recycling program. Along with city staff,
we successfully established a notification process wherein the EAC is notified when a development
is proposed within the Enduring Green Network. Also related to community development, this
community collaborated with city staff to design of the Wedington Corridor Plan. This will be very
exciting to watch as it moves forward.
We worked to uphold Fayetteville’s fantastic quality of life by sponsoring and passing the
Streamside Protection Ordinance, which protects two of Fayetteville’s many assets – its Ozark
Mountain streams and its good water quality. Together, we continuously advocated for using low
impact development stormwater designs in order to minimize the impacts of development on
downstream drainage systems. We worked towards reducing the euthanasia rates at the animal
shelter and increased spay and neuter programs. Based on your input, Council Member Shirley
Lucas and I worked together to sponsor the Residential Parking Ordinance, as well as the Red Dirt
and Rock Quarry ordinances. As a community we continuously supported the expansion of the
trail program, specifically promoting an east-­‐west connection to Ward 4 trails. In addition, as a
result of your input, we pushed for more traffic calming, sidewalks, and crosswalks in Ward 4.
Collectively, we spoke up in order to protect parks from private marketing and advertising
campaigns, and continuously advocated to protect Fayetteville’s sign ordinance. Lastly, as a result
of feedback during proposed developments near the University of Arkansas campus, the City
Council unanimously supported the establishment of the Town and Gown committee, which will
provide an enduring tool to help protect neighborhood integrity.
You have communicated that it has been important to protect the community, both financially and
as it relates to personal safety. As a result of this, we worked together to support Mayor Jordan’s
budget cutbacks throughout the Great Recession, saving millions in taxpayer dollars and resulting
in a balanced budget for 2013. Together we supported the Mayor’s work to establish a
Fayetteville emergency plan after the ice storm of 2009, and supported the implementation of the
plan during other extreme weather events in the last 4 years. Also in the spirit of fiscal

responsibility, as a member of the Equipment Committee, we promoted reducing the purchase of
unneeded 4x4 vehicles, and supported the purchase of new fuel-­‐efficient and user-­‐friendly police
vehicles for officers. As a result of your interest in a safe community, I and other Council Members
voted in support of grants to fund training modules for Fayetteville’s firefighters, as well as to fund
an update to the police and fire radio system, which had not been updated in decades. Finally,
with your help, we successfully advocated to hire more code enforcement staff to address issues in
neighborhoods struggling with code violations.
Lastly, you communicated that it is important to have an attainable city, a city that is accessible to
all. As a result of your vision, the City Council supported the work that went into writing and
receiving the Home Depot grant to fund affordable housing projects, an improved drainage criteria
manual that supports LID, and expanded trail systems to improve accessibility to services. Also
important to you in making Fayetteville an attainable city was that we continue to support the
work of the Community Development Block Grant program. One part of this program provides
support for home improvement efforts for those who apply, thus further enabling home
ownership in Fayetteville. Finally, in my role as the chair of the Water, Sewer, and Solid Waste
committee, we worked together to maintain low rates for citizens by supporting projects that
resulted in a return on investment, increased efficiency in water treatment and delivery, reduced
pollutant loads, as well as projects that facilitated the City’s ability to sell the recyclable
commodities it collects.
These are some examples of our accomplishments and it is important to recognize that there is
still much to do. It is with deepest gratitude that I thank you for the opportunity to have served
this wonderful community over the past 4 years. It has been a pleasure to be your representative
on the Council, to ask questions for you, to help you navigate the City of Fayetteville system, and to
help make progress on key issues that keep Fayetteville moving forward. It has been an
experience of a lifetime and it is my hope to continue to serve in other capacities in the future.
Ward 4 Council Members, Rhonda Adams and Alan Long, will continue to communicate with you
about the City Council agenda, weekly public meetings, and monthly Ward 4 and Friends meetings.
Thank you to Rhonda and Alan for continuing the important tradition of the Ward 4 and Friends
meetings. See you all there!
May you have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Sarah E. Lewis, Ph.D.
479-­‐263-­‐2087